Colorado Still at Risk for Wildfires, as Looters Nabbed in Fourmile Burn Area

Deck

Yesterday, firefighters gained control of a wildfire that scorched 1,000 acres in Weld County, consuming a vacant home and three outbuildings (via 9News). The fire was another reminder that conditions remain tinder-dry along the Front Range. Taking on the blazes can have a toll on the budgets of local fire departments, including in the Fourmile Fire area west of Boulder that burned down 169 structures earlier this month. The four-person crew who make up the Four Mile Fire Protection District, which gets $100,000 a year from property taxes, may run out of money and disband with the decreased funding base left after the fire, according to Boulder's Daily Camera.

Meanwhile, there will be no charges against the man blamed for starting the Fourmile Fire, volunteer firefighter George Fairer, 71, who had been burning something in his home firepit in the area, and lost his own house in the process, according to CBS4.

Two other men suspected of looting the burn area were arrested instead—Cesar Antonio Ayala of Longmont and Jorge Salgado of Lafayette. They face charges of burglary and felony theft for removing scrap metal and copper tubing from homes, according to the Camera.

Slideshows

Previous

The American Society of Interior Designers' (ASID) Colorado Chapter decorated the Governor's Residence for the holidays. Holiday tours, free and open to the public, will take place December 8-11 and December 15-18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All photos by Sarah Boyum